I am new to HAM, I've been around radios all my life but not much experence with HAM at all so if I may ask stupid questions. I bought an ARRL License Manual on Amazon and it should be here within the next week or two. I live in Chester County, PA; Where is the closest place to take my license test and where is the closest club? Under the Chester County section of RR I see RACES frequencys, I put them in my scanner and have heard people talking on them. Can anybody talk on RACES repeaters if you have your HAM Ticket? I need a good first radio "Something under $400, Im a poor high school kid" I figured you guys would be able to point me in the right direction with my questions, and thank you in advance!
HAM Questions
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Keith_W7KEW
Member
Go to American Radio Relay League | ARRL - The national association for AMATEUR RADIO and look up the VEC program. You can talk on any repeater that you are a member of or one that is open to all hams. The ARRL repeater book can tell if a repeater is open or not.
I think your questions have been pretty well covered. The only suggestion I would make is to read all you can on the ARRL site about amateur radio. I can safely say that -all- of your questions (future ones) can -almost- always be answered there. Another very good thing to do is read the 'rules' for Part 97. It's a requirement for a license anyway so why not do it to start with. Got other questions that you can't seem to find an answer for? That's normal, so ask those questions here and in other places. I'd be surprised if there isn't a club in your area. Find it, go to a meeting or two, see what's going on.
I think ham radio is a very fun hobby, been doing it for quite some time now. The possibilities are almost endless, almost always something 'new' to try. Have fun!
- 'Doc
I think ham radio is a very fun hobby, been doing it for quite some time now. The possibilities are almost endless, almost always something 'new' to try. Have fun!
- 'Doc
fineshot1
Member
4887 - see the list of local info for you below.
The first two are repeater lists local to you. Just look for the Chester Co ones.
The third is a local list of amatuer radio orgs and the rest are probably local
orgs on that list. Good luck....
Chester County Amateur Radio Repeaters :: Repeaterbook.com
ARCC Coordinated Repeater Database - by Location
HamDepot - Pennsylvania Ham Radio Clubs | PA Amateur Radio Clubs
Chester County ARES/RACES | Blattae Communicata
ULS License - Amateur License - K3BKG - CHESCO AMATEUR RADIO ASSN
W3BXW : Bristol Emergency Amateur Radio System
Phila Area Repeater Assoc.
W3AHS Repeater - Millionaire Amateur Radio Club - Williamsport, PA - World Wide via Echolink
MARC* WB3JOE/R* W3NWA
Oh - and if you ask 10 hams what equipment is best you will get 10 different answers.
The first two are repeater lists local to you. Just look for the Chester Co ones.
The third is a local list of amatuer radio orgs and the rest are probably local
orgs on that list. Good luck....
Chester County Amateur Radio Repeaters :: Repeaterbook.com
ARCC Coordinated Repeater Database - by Location
HamDepot - Pennsylvania Ham Radio Clubs | PA Amateur Radio Clubs
Chester County ARES/RACES | Blattae Communicata
ULS License - Amateur License - K3BKG - CHESCO AMATEUR RADIO ASSN
W3BXW : Bristol Emergency Amateur Radio System
Phila Area Repeater Assoc.
W3AHS Repeater - Millionaire Amateur Radio Club - Williamsport, PA - World Wide via Echolink
MARC* WB3JOE/R* W3NWA
Oh - and if you ask 10 hams what equipment is best you will get 10 different answers.
Thank you very much for your answers! In your opinion what is the best starter radio? What about antennas? Where is the best place online to buy radios? I will probably buy a radio soon while I have the money to buy a good radio. Can you hit repeaters with any HAM radio?
fineshot1
Member
when you ask about "best starter radio" you must be more specific.
are you asking about a mobile, or portable(mobiles can be used as a base also with a power supply)?
when you ask about antennas you must also specify whether your asking about a mobile or a
portable or a base antenna.
i am sorta old school so i would not recommend a portable radio for a first time user, rather
a mobile used as a base radio and a good dual band diamond or comet antenna on the house.
are you asking about a mobile, or portable(mobiles can be used as a base also with a power supply)?
when you ask about antennas you must also specify whether your asking about a mobile or a
portable or a base antenna.
i am sorta old school so i would not recommend a portable radio for a first time user, rather
a mobile used as a base radio and a good dual band diamond or comet antenna on the house.
I need dual band, Mobile deffinately. I want to use a mobile as a base off a power supply in my bedroom. I need a base antenna. I have an antenna Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna - RadioShack.com It works great for UHF radios, will it work for HAM? or will i have to get another antenna? I also have a few Yagi's laying around collecting dust so would those possibly work too?
It sounds like you aren't ready to get a radio or antenna at this point. I would definitely learn more about ham radio in general, and the Technician class license privileges first. Then you can start looking for radios/stuff to fit the needs.
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
fineshot1
Member
ok - i like icom and kenwood vhf/uhf dual banders. But that is me and you'll probably get many
different opinions on brands & models. I have the Icom IC-208H and for DStar the Icom ID-800H
dual banders and love them both. I always program them with the software and cable as its much
easier. These are pretty robust radios and if you treat them proper they should last you for many
years. I have been a ham since 1974 and have had many a radio of most brands and have
settled on the icom & kenwood brands most of the time. I had past experiences with yaesu
and got burned too many times from them to go back.
For an antenna mounted in my attic i have a Comet GP-3 and its an awesome antenna for its size.
Read the eham reviews below - most are very positive. This is a small base station antenna and it
works well but it is NOT designed or meant to be a repeater antenna as some have attempted to use
it for.
Comet GP-3 Dual Band Base Antenna Product Reviews
Above all have lots of fun with this hobby and always ask questions as its also fun to learn.
Good luck and happy radio and antenna hunting....
What is the best SWR meater to get? Is it a good idea to leave an SWR meter connected all the time?
fineshot1
Member
I can't say for certain, one would have to use them all to make such a judgement.
I use a Bird model 43 with the appropriate freq range elements for the band/power range.
That model and other similar ones are considered some of the better quality meters for the price.
What's the best kind of power supply to get? I want to get a 20 AMP "My radio only requires 14" but I want room to expand to a bigger radio if i want without having to replace it down the road. I was looking at a Amazon.com: Pyramid PS21KX 20 Amp Power Supply: Electronics any feed back on this one?
As far as brands go, I won't make any recommendations. It's a fairly good idea to stick with a reputable brand, after that, it's more a matter of opinion. I would recommend getting a larger than necessary power supply. There are always going to be something that you wish you could add later, so why not plan ahead for it? I think the smartest thing I ever did was get a huge power supply, I've been able to power anything I've ever owned with it, sometimes more than just one or two radios. It's rated at over 70 amps CCS, no idea what the ICS rating is. It isn't a commercially made power supply, but the builder was very well thought of. Only wish I'd gotten two of them, you know?
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
I've always used Pyramid, But i've always been useing 25-40 Watt UHF or High Band radios......Not HAM. Is Pyamid a good brand that lasts a long time? I dont want somethinng that will blow up "And blow my radio up in the process" 2 years down the road.
reedeb
Member
Learn the book and keep asking questions. As for RACES YES you can talk on them UNTIL they have a net up for an emergency [they will broadcast this] THEN if you aren't a RACES member unless it is an emergency you cannot talk on the frequency. [Best thing to do then is to sit, listen, and learn.]
Many factors in radios CAN you have a base antenna? if you run a mobile and [as I] cannot have a base antenna a magnet mount mobile antenna on a cookie sheet or a lage flat piece of metal will work very well. [not as good as the base antenna BUT hey some folks can't have em out]
Look up on line for Amateur radio clubs in your area. Good luck, PASS THE TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Pyramid power supply should work as well as most others, it's a common choice. The thing with any power supply is to not over load the thing or expect it to do something it wasn't designed for. Power supplies have two ratings, 'CCS', or continuous current supply, and 'ICS', or intermittent current supply. The ICS rating is what you see advertised in most cases, and it's only good for short periods of time, or surges. The CCS is what the thing will deliver all the time. The CCS is usually something like 1/2 to 2/3rds of the ICS rating. It's never a good idea to run something at max all the time, so some extra 'head-room' is always nice to have. (That CCS/ICS ratios are only rough estimates! Read the specs for any particular power supply.)
It doesn't matter if the radio is VHF/UHF or HF, it only matters what current is normally requires to operate. If it requires 20 amps then something with a 25 - 30 amp CCS rating should do just dandy. If you think you may run more than one device from that power supply, add up the current ratings for all the devices being powered. That total is the minimum for the size of power supply required.
There are no 'iron-clad' guarantees. The next Cadillac or Mercedes you drive off the showroom floor may drop dead after making the first corner turn. Same with power supplies. The best protection for the devices hooked to that power supply is a properly sized fuse (and not asking too much of the power supply?). In general, a 'Pyramid', or 'Astron', or any typical manufacturer's power supply should last for as long as is 'normal'. (No idea what's a 'normal' period of time, sorry.)
- 'Doc
It doesn't matter if the radio is VHF/UHF or HF, it only matters what current is normally requires to operate. If it requires 20 amps then something with a 25 - 30 amp CCS rating should do just dandy. If you think you may run more than one device from that power supply, add up the current ratings for all the devices being powered. That total is the minimum for the size of power supply required.
There are no 'iron-clad' guarantees. The next Cadillac or Mercedes you drive off the showroom floor may drop dead after making the first corner turn. Same with power supplies. The best protection for the devices hooked to that power supply is a properly sized fuse (and not asking too much of the power supply?). In general, a 'Pyramid', or 'Astron', or any typical manufacturer's power supply should last for as long as is 'normal'. (No idea what's a 'normal' period of time, sorry.)
- 'Doc
fineshot1
Member
I have Astron supplies but I mostly use industrial models made by IOTA Engineering.
I use either the DLS-55 (50 Amp Continuous) or the DLS-75 (75 Amp Continuous)
depending on the current requirements of what I am testing or using.
They are a bit on the overkill side but they will last me forever with the exception
of a lightning hit or other such act of god event.
EvilLithiumMan
Member
You may want to visit eHam.net Home - Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) Community Site - they have 100's of reviews of ham (and non-ham) radios, antennas, amps, accessories, etc. - it's a good resource to see how the equipment you're considering fares.
Ok, so I talked to some firends and read some reviews. I've decided to get this antenna Arrow Antenna Arrow Plane "GP146/440". I wanna mount it off my chimney. whats the best kind of chimney mount to get? I have a mast im going to use.
Also, What should I do to ground it? Im a firefighter and i've been to too many house fires that envolve lightning strikes.......
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